


It's in the Card

by kc_evans



Series: House of Cards [2]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Greeting Cards, More Fluff, Still not sorry about the fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-29
Updated: 2015-04-29
Packaged: 2018-03-26 06:20:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3840313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kc_evans/pseuds/kc_evans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Side fic to House of Cards. How Dorian met and encouraged (and embarrassed) Cullen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's in the Card

**Author's Note:**

> Please be mindful of the upped rating on this fic.

Dorian hated manning the front of the shop alone, but Sera was supposedly in class at the local community college and Cole always volunteered at the hospital every Wednesday. Evelyn had been with him until she insisted she had to meet with their accountant. Something about paying bills and salaries? He tuned her out when she began rambling about quarter earnings. Or perhaps she said losses, Dorian didn’t quite remember.

He really couldn’t be bothered by all that business stuff. It was why they made such good partners: he focused on the creative aspect of finding artists and writers for their specialized cards, and even taking pen to paper himself, while Evelyn took care of the boring logistics of running a store.

But he disliked being alone in the shop. Dorian _knew_ he could be charming and sell anything and everything to people - if customers actually came in - but the fact was, he didn’t care to. This wasn’t his forte and Evelyn knew it. But she left him alone anyway, promising to return as soon as possible.

Sighing into the empty air, Dorian decided to pass the time by sketching a few pictures while waiting for Evelyn to come back. Finding some blank paper and a fine-tipped charcoal pencil, he began doodling. The door bells jingled to alert him of a customer just as he put the finishing touches of Evelyn being buried under an avalanche of spreadsheets.

The man who came into view made Dorian forget all about his picture. He was tall with carefully brushed and styled blond hair (did the man drown his locks in mousse?), evenly tanned skin stretched over a drool-worthy muscular build, and dressed in a pair of designer jeans and a light oxford shirt with the cuffs rolled up. His facial features were decidedly masculine with a strong jaw, deep set eyes made up of the most unusual shade of amber, and a day old scruff that made him look world-weary but appealing.

The man looked around the room before focusing his gaze onto Dorian. For some reason, he kept shifting his weight from foot to foot as if he was nervous. “Hi, is Evelyn here?” he asked.

Even his voice was sexy, Dorian decided, almost sighing in rapture. But then his words sank in and the artist suddenly realized this had to be the guy Evelyn had been ogling last week. He wasn’t sure, though, he’d have to check the man’s backside just in case this was another good looking blond that wandered into their store asking for his partner. “No, Evelyn is out. Can I help you?” Dorian said, wondering if he could ask the man to turn around without sounding creepy.

He looked disappointed but at the same time, his shoulders slumped in what could only be categorized as relief. “Oh. Um, no thanks. I just … I was thinking …” The man cleared his throat. “Yes, well, I’ll just stop by again some other time.” He turned around to go.

Dorian studied his ass and nodded approvingly to himself. _Eve, you found yourself a winner. You go, girl!_ he thought. Out loud, he said, “Wait a moment. You’re Cullen, right? Are you sure I can’t help you with anything?” He made sure to infuse a wealth of implication in the question.

Cullen stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Evelyn mentioned me?” he asked, hesitant.

“A few times,” Dorian said off-handedly. “She said you had a few … needs that she hoped she fulfilled.”

_I really am evil_ , Dorian decided without an iota of remorse, watching as the innuendo sank in and Cullen turned a deep shade of bright red in response. _Predictable, Eve, you choose an adorable dork who blushes like a virgin._ “I mean, she said she helped you choose a few cards?” he clarified with the innocence of a newborn baby.

“Y-yes,” Cullen said, turning around fully to face Dorian. He studied the artist for a long moment and then his eyes narrowed. “Can I ask who you are?”

Dorian grinned. An adorable dork who at least stood his ground. Perfect. “Of course. I’m Dorian, Eve’s partner. We co-own House of Cards together.”

“Oh.” He continued to watch Dorian for a long moment as if taking stock of him. “Well, will you tell her I stopped by?”

Folding his arms across his chest, Dorian tilted his head slightly. Evelyn had told him Cullen had already bought 3 cards, but he suspected the last two had been just a means to spend more time with her. Dorian decided to call him out on that. “Hmm, are you sure you don’t want to buy a card? Another birthday one, perhaps? Or perhaps one to ask someone out on a date?”

He could all but see the wheels turning in Cullen’s head. “A card to ask someone out on a date?” he repeated, sounding skeptical.

Dorian tutted. “And here I thought Evelyn told you that our shop is different. We have at least one card for almost every possible life moment. That would include something as mundane as asking someone out. Here, I’ll show you.”

Cullen almost looked like he was just going to leave but curiosity eventually won out and he followed Dorian to the back section the artist had fondly dubbed “the adult corner”. Scanning the rows of cards and making a mental note to make sure Sera hadn’t added extra drawings in some of the more mature cards, Dorian finally found Evelyn’s favorite. “Here we are! It’s actually a card that my dear partner herself chose for us to carry. It’s a little quaint, but it appeals to a certain demographic and it certainly gets the point across.”

Still hesitant, Cullen read the card through and looked up at Dorian. “It’s very straight-forward,” he said.

“And that’s the point. After all, you _were_ going to ask Evelyn out, weren’t you? But between displaying your terror and stuttering incomplete sentences, I couldn’t really tell.”

Cullen looked insulted, but he didn’t say anything to contradict him. So Dorian continued on. “Don’t get me wrong, she’s interested. But at the snail’s pace you two are going with this odd little flirtation, we’ll be old and gray before you finally get the nerve up to ask her to dinner.” He tapped the card in Cullen’s hand. “This is the way to go.”

The blond man didn’t seem convinced as he stared down at the card. Dorian left him to think on it and went back to the counter and his drawing. He started a new one, this time with him being worshiped by a bevy of half-naked men at his feet. By the time he finished sketching the throne, Cullen came up to him.

“I’ll take it,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll use it.”

Dorian smiled in satisfaction. “Fair enough.” He rang Cullen up and slipped the card into a small, flat bag. “So, I have to ask because I just love your jeans, where did you get them? Saks? Neiman? And what brand?”

Cullen glanced down at his pants almost self-consciously. “Oh, um, actually a friend of mine is a fashion buyer. She refuses to let me wear anything except what she chooses for me and all I see is the bill. So I have no idea.”

Dorian studied how snugly the jeans fit Cullen’s legs and hips - in a purely objective way, of course. “Well, they look quite expensive and they’re very well made. This fashion buyer doesn’t happen to be a single man, does it?”

“Sorry, she’s female. But I’ll tell her you approve of my clothes.”

“Please do. I can imagine you shopping at a discount store and that would be a terrible crime with your body.”

Cullen opened his mouth to say something, then apparently thought better of it. Instead, he picked up his bag and looked at it for a long minute. “Are you sure this will work?” he asked hesitantly.

“You don’t have to use it,” Dorian reminded him. “But it’s there, just in case plan A fails.” He smiled indulgently at the other man. “Evelyn owns a card shop. I’m pretty sure giving her a card to ask her out won’t hurt your chances any. The only way it would fail is if you try to give her a Hallmark card. Do not _ever_ give her a card from that store. That’ll be the fastest way to go from sleeping in her bed to sleeping on the couch.”

Dorian was serious when he began sharing his advice, but he couldn’t resist adding that last sentence in to see Cullen blush again. _Ah, this is too easy_ , he thought to himself, watching the blond man stutter and insist that wasn’t his goal. He waved aside the protests. “Yes, yes, you’re a perfect gentleman, I can see that. Anyway, you may want to come back on Friday evening right before we close. And Eve’s favorite restaurant is the Il Palacio just around the corner from here, in case you’re interested.”

When Cullen left, his cheeks still burning with shame, Dorian went back to his drawing, deciding to make one of the worshipers look a little like the man who had just left. He heard the back door unlock and open and Evelyn came to the front of the store a few seconds later, looking disgruntled. “I take it the meeting was a smashing success?” he asked.

“Not unless you consider us not making payroll a success,” she said dourly. Glancing at both drawings, Evelyn sighed but made no comment about the picture of her untimely death. “Any customers while I was gone? Anything exciting happen?”

“Just one. And no, nothing exciting,” Dorian replied nonchalantly.

Evelyn hesitated and he could almost feel her debating whether or not to ask him if Cullen had come in. After all, Dorian had teased her relentlessly for days after catching her staring at Cullen’s retreating backside. He waited, knowing curiosity would win out. It always did. “Did, um, did Cullen stop by?” she asked as casually as possible.

Dorian kept his eyes concentrated on his paper so Evelyn couldn’t see his gleeful expression. “Who? Oh, your yummy blond. Nope, haven’t seen hide nor hair of him. Maybe he’ll stop by later.”

Evelyn seemed to deflate for a moment. “I guess so. Well, I have to send the CPA some more stuff so I’m going back to the office and work on it. Let me know if you need me.”

“I will.” Dorian listened to her shuffle back to the tiny room in the back and smiled to himself. He was looking forward to Friday evening.


End file.
